10-43: Be Advised...

IACP 2012 video interview: FLIR Systems

These LS devices take that seemingly-impossible balance between brute strength and feather weight to a totally new level

Editor’s Note:

Editor’s Note: Many thanks to our friends at TASER International for equipping me with the TASER AXON Flex body-worn video camera and Evidence.com digital evidence management solution for secure video storage and retrieval.

During IACP 2012 in San Diego, I stopped by the FLIR Systems booth to speak with Jim McGowan for a few moments about their latest handheld thermal imaging devices for law enforcement.

Having had some experience in using some of the units on display at the FLIR booth, I was most interested in hearing about what the market response has been to the recently-released FLIR LS-Series thermal imaging cameras.

Announced earlier this year, the FLIR LS-Series cameras give law enforcement officers the ability to see clearly in the darkness in a nearly perfect ergonomic form factor.

The market response to the FLIR LS-Series has — quite understandably — been tremendous. The LS-32 produces images at 320 by 240 pixels, while the LS-64 produces images at 640 by 480 pixels, and both versions come with rechargeable Li-Ion batteries offering a long usable life before needing to be recharged.

Picking up one of the LS Series devices is a case study in contrasts. All of FLIR’s handheld devices are incredibly rugged but simultaneously surprisingly lightweight, but these LS devices take that seemingly-impossible balance between brute strength and feather weight to a totally new level.

Check out the video below.

About the author

Doug Wyllie is Editor in Chief of PoliceOne, responsible for setting the editorial direction of the website and managing the planned editorial features by our roster of expert writers. An award-winning columnist — he is the 2014 Western Publishing Association "Maggie Award" winner in the category of Best Regularly Featured Digital Edition Column — Doug has authored more than 800 feature articles and tactical tips on a wide range of topics and trends that affect the law enforcement community. Doug is a member of International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA), an Associate Member of the California Peace Officers' Association (CPOA), and a member of the Public Safety Writers Association (PSWA). Even in his "spare" time, he is active in his support for the law enforcement community, contributing his time and talents toward police-related charitable events as well as participating in force-on-force training, search-and-rescue training, and other scenario-based training designed to prepare cops for the fight they face every day on the street.

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